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Chicken Tikka Pizzas: Another 20-Minute Meal

Yield: 4 -5 individual pizzas
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained (see note)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper, more or less to taste, depending on how spicy you want it
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cream or milk, the milk will make the sauce a bit thinner
  • 2-3 cups cooked diced chicken, (a rotisserie chicken works great here)
  • 4-5 6-inch pita or naan breads (see note)
  • Thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 cup (114 g) shredded mozzarella cheese (more or less, depending on how cheesy you want the pizzas)
  • Chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions 

  • Preheat broiler to high and place an oven rack about 4-6 inches away from broiler.
  • Blend the diced tomatoes (in a blender or food processor or with an immersion blender) until fairly smooth.
  • Heat the olive oil in a 2-quart or so saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger, red pepper, garlic, curry powder, and cumin. Stir constantly for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and salt and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the cream and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Stir in the chicken and heat through.
  • Top each pita or naan bread with 1/2 cup or so of the sauce/chicken mixture (the exact amount will depend on the size of your bread), thin slices of red onion and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.
  • Broil until the cheese is melted and starting to brown lightly in spots, 2-3 minutes. Don't let them burn (they'll cook quickly!).
  • Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately.

Notes

Substitutions: so here are a few quick substitutions, you can use a 14.5 ounce can of crushed tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes (which are blended in the recipe). The sauce will be slightly thicker and the tomato flavor will be a bit stronger. Also, you can omit the curry and cumin and use 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala. I've made it both ways and slightly prefer the curry/cumin mixture probably because I'm super dedicated and loyal to the Penzey's brand of sweet curry powder.
Flatbread: I generally use this homemade Greek flatbread (ones I've baked and frozen in advance) or the oblong-shaped naan breads from Costco for this recipe but any type of flatbread you enjoy will work.